Princeton University Updates Guidelines for Recent Travelers to West Africa

Princeton University is continuing to monitor the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s travel and health advisories regarding the Ebola outbreak in parts of West Africa.

The CDC recommends that colleges and universities identify faculty, staff and students who have traveled to Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone or Nigeria in the last 21 days to discuss their possible risk for becoming sick and provide instructions for health monitoring.

Princeton University officials are asking all faculty, staff and students who have been to Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone or Nigeria to contact University Health Services, even if they are not ill. Students should call (609) 258-3141 and faculty and staff should call (609) 258-5035. Additionally, individuals hosting visiting researchers who may have recently traveled to these countries should contact University HEalth Services as well.

People who have been to any of these countries should also continue to monitor their health closely, including regularly monitoring their temperature, for 21 days from the date they were last in an affected country. Individuals who develop a fever or other symptoms should immediately call University Health Services.

Princeton University announced last month it would not support undergraduate or graduate student travel to Guinea, Liberia or Sierra Leone because of the CDC’s travel advisory. The school is asking faculty and staff planning to travel to these countries are to contact employee health services prior to travel.